In recent years, in-vehicle apparatuses comprising display units such as liquid crystal displays have been widely spread. Such an in-vehicle apparatus performs, for example, a navigation process accompanied by map display on the above-mentioned display unit and a process of reproducing content designated by a user (such as a passenger of the vehicle, for example) using the display unit, and the like. With the above usage being taken into account, the above-mentioned display unit is preferably large in size.
Meanwhile, in regard to the above point, the size (width) of the interior of the vehicle is limited, and there is also a need to secure vision of the driver at the time of driving or the like. Therefore, various efforts need to be made to increase the size of the display unit. In addition, an example of a conventional technique taking such efforts into account is the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 mentioned below.
Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a large-sized rectangular display is made to protrude inside the vehicle when the display is used, and horizontal usage and vertical usage of the display (or rotation of the display) are controlled in accordance with the display content on the display. The display content in this case may be a map, icons for operation, or the like, for example. In addition, as for the rotation control, there also is a disclosed configuration in which the position of the upper side of the display in horizontal usage and the position of the upper side in vertical usage are made to substantially coincide with each other, so that the vision of the driver is not hindered even if the display is rotated. Further, there is a disclosed configuration in which, when proximity of a hand of the driver or a passenger is detected by a so-called proximity sensor, the above-mentioned rotation control is performed, and the rotation is coordinated with slide movement of the display.